Valve-operating mechanism for water-closet supply-tanks



(N0 odel.

hee't 1, MOI-HIG VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WATER OLOSET' SUPPLY TANKS. A

Patented Dec. 29, 1891.

WIT NEEFEEE.

INVENTEIR:

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

T. MOHUGH. VALVE OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WATER GLOSET SUPPLY TANKS.

No. 466,103. Patented Dec. 29, 1891.

A/ITNEESEEl lNVENTD-R: W1 J 648% W sition they occupy when the valve is raised U NITED STATES PATENT OF ICE.

TIMOTHY MOHUGI-I, OF WAKEFIELD, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO THE SMITH & ANTHONY STOVE COMPANY,

OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

VALVE-OPERATING MECHANISM FOR WATER-CLOSET SUPPLY-TANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,103, dated December 29, 1891.

Application filed April 10, 1891.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TIMOTHY McHUeH, of Wakefield, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve-Operating Mechanism for Vt ater-Oloset Supply- Tanks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide a simple and effective means for opening the outlet-valveof a water-closetsupply-tank,both by the depression of the water-closet seat and by the release of the same, to give a preliminary and a secondary wash; and it consists in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a sectional view of a portion of a water-closet supply-tank and a side elevation of my improved valve-operating devices. Fig. 2 represents an elevation of the valve-operating devices taken from the opposite side from that shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a section on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. "Figs. at and 5 represent side elevations, respectively, .of the primary and secondary levers hereinafter referred to. Fig. 6 represents a perspective view of a part of the apparatus. Fig. 7 represents a View similar to Fig.1, showing the parts in the pofor the preliminary wash. Fig. 8 represents a side view of the valve and its operating devices, showing the position of the parts When the valve is raised for the secondary wash. Fig. 9 representsa side elevation of a portion of the valve-operating mechanism. Fig. 10 represents a sectional view of the retarding device which retards the closing movement of the valve. Fig. 11 represents a side elevation of the closet-seat and the connection between the same and my improved apparatus.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents a watcrcloset supply-tank of any suitable construction.

I) represents the outlet at the bottom thereof, and c represents the valve controlling said outlet, said valve being here shown as of the clapper form, pivoted at c, and arranged to cover an inclined seat 0 when closed; but my Serial No. 338,363. (No model.)

the improved mechanism hereinafter described.

d represents a bracket affixed to the upper portion of the tank, said bracket having an arm d, projecting upwardly from it, and another laterallyprojecting arm 01 To the lower portion of the arm d is pivoted at c a lever e, which, for convenience of description,

I term the primary lever. In one arm of said primary lever is formed a slot 6 in which a stud or shaft f, formed on a roller f, is adapted to rise and fall, said roller projecting laterally from one side of the primary arm 6 and having its independent upward motion limited by an adjustable stop g, which is preferablyascrewinserted in the lever 6, its lower end projecting any desired distance into the slot e The outlet-valve c is connected by a chain h with the same arm of the lever c. The other arm of the lever e is engaged with a re- '7 5 tarding device, which may be generally described as an air-chamber, composed of a fixed and a movable part, the movable part being connected with the lever c, said chamher having means for admitting air to and permitting its escape from its interior, the

essential construction of the chamber being such that it will. be contracted by the movement of the lever c, which raises and opens the valve 0, air being thus expelled from the chamber, so that the lever 6 can move in the direction required to permit the closing of the valve 0 only as fast as the air-chamber is permitted to move toward its normal or expanded position by the entrance of air to its 0 interior. I have here shown the retarding device or air-chamber as composed of an elastic diaphragm 2, of rubber or other suitable material, preferably of spherical form, supported by a cup 3, formed or attached to the arm (1 of the bracket cl. Said diaphragm has at its highest portion a metallic stem at, projecting upwardly and engaged with a socket 5, having cars which are pivoted at 6 to the lever c, said parts constituting a suitwe able connection between the lever c and the retarding device. \Vhen the arm of thelever 6, connected to the valve, is raised to open the valve, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the diaphragm 2 is depressed and caused to contractthe air-chamber and expel a portion of the air therefrom through a valved outlet 7 in the stem 4. hen thelever e is released, its movement in the opposite direction which closes the valve is retarded by the diaphragm, the latter being permitted to rise only as fast as air can be admitted through an inlet 8, Fig. 10. The air is admitted at a slow rate through said inlet, and the rate of its admission may be adjusted by a screw 9, which, when turned in one direction, closes or partially closes said inlet, and when turned in the opposite direction opens the same. \Vhen the diaphragm? is rising, the valve 10 in the air-outlet 7 closes and prevents entrance ot aininto the chamber through said outlet. It will be seen, therefore, that whenever the arm of the lever e, that is connected to the valve, is raised the valve is opened, and is caused to close slowly and gradually by the retarding device.

't' represents a lever, which is pivoted at t" tothe arm cl of the bracket cl. Said lever 2', which I call the secondary lever to distinguish it from the lever c, has a longer and a shorter arm. The shorter arm projects downwardly below the pivot t", and has a projection 4 which is arranged to pass under the roller f on the primary lever when the secondary lever is oscillated, and in so passing to force the roller f upwardly against the stop g, and thus raise the arm of the lever B, which carries said roller. The longer arm of the lever t' is connected by red j with the arm or lever 70 on the seat Z of the water-closet. \Vhen the seat is depressed by the weight of a sitter, the rod j is raised, as indicated by the vertical arrow in Fig. 7 thus raising the longer arm of the secondary lever t and moving its shorter arm in the direction of the arrow 06 in Fig. 7, the projection i being thus caused to raise the roller f, and with it the arm of the lever e, that is connected with the valve, thus opening the valve. After the projection t has passed under the roller f the latter drops and the primary lever c is released so far as the secondary lever is concerned, so that its arm that is connected with the valve immediately commences to descend as fast as the retarding device will permit, so that the valve closes after the preliminary wash without regard to the length of time that the seat is occupied. When the seat is released, a weight j on the rod j depresses said rod and causes a movement of the secondary lever in the direction indicated by the vertical arrow in Fig. 8, thus causing the projection i to move under the roller f in the direction indicated by the arrow 00' in said figure, the valve-operating arm of the lever 6 being thus raised again and caused to open the valve for the secondary wash. The projection 5 moving in the direction last indicated, passes from under the roller, as indicated in Fig. 1, thus releasing the lever e and permitting it to again descend, retarded, as before, by the retarding device. It will be seen, therefore, that a preliminary and a secondary wash, both of suflicient duration, are insured by my improved mechanism, and that said mechanism is of simple and durable character and not liable to get out of order.

I do not limit myself to the particular construction of retarding device here shown, but.

may use any suitable variable air-chamber which will be contracted by the movement of the lever e required to raise the valve and will retard the movement of said lever in the opposite direction while it-the air-chamber-- is expanded to its normal condition.

I claim-- l. The combination of a valve controlling the outlet of a water-closet'supply-tank, aprimary pivoted lever, one arm of which is connected with said valve and is provided with a roller or projection having an independent vertical movement and with a stop limiting the upward movement of said roller, a retarding device connected with the other arm of said lever and adapted to retard the movement of the lever which permits theclosing of the valve, and a secondary pivoted lever, one arm of which has a projection arranged to oscillate under the roller on the primary lever, and thereby alternately raise andrelea se the roller-carrying arm of the latter, the other arm of said secondary lever being adapted to be raised and depressed to oscillate said projection, as set forth.

2. As a means for operating the outletvalve of a water-closet supply-tank, the combination of a bracket adapted to be attached to the tank, the primary lever c, pivoted to said bracket and having in one arm a slot 2 a roller f, vertically movable in said slot and projecting from one side of the lever, a re tarding device interposed between the other arm of said lever and an arm on said bracket, whereby the downward movement of the arm carrying said roller is retarded, and the secondary lever also pivoted to said bracket and having a longer and a shorter arm, said shorter arm having a projection arranged to alternately raise and release the roller on the primary lever when the secondary lever is oscillated, as set forth.

3. As a means for operating the outletvalve of a water-closet supply-tank, the combination of a bracket adapted to be attached to the tank, the primary lever c, pivoted to said bracket and having in one arm a slot 6*, a roller f,'vertically movable in said slot and projecting from one side of the lever, an elastic diaphragm supported by an arm affixed to the bracket, a connection between said diaphragm and the primary lever, said diaphragm and its support constituting a variable air-chamber having means for regulating the entrance and escape of air to and from its interior, and the secondary lever also pivoted to said bracket and having a longer and a shorter arm, said shorter arm having a projection arranged to alternately raise and release the roller on the primary lever when the secondary lever is oscillated, as set forth.

4. As'a means for operating the outletvalve of a water-closet supply-tank, the-combination of a bracket adapted to be attached to the tank, the primary lever e, pivoted to said bracket and having in one arm a slot 6 a roller f, vertically movable in said slot and projecting from one side of the lever, a variable air-chamber composed of a fixed part, and a movable part connected with the primary lever, said air-chamber having means for regulating the entrance and escape of air to and from its interior, and the secondary lever also pivoted to said bracket and having a longer and a shorter arm, said shorter arm having a projection arranged to alternately raise and release the roller on the primary lever when the secondary lever is oscillated, as set forth.

5. The combination, with a tank and its outlet-valve,-of the primary lever, one arm of which is connected with the valve and has a laterally-projecting roller having an independent vertical movement, a retarding device engaged with the other arm of said lever, the secondary lever having a longer and a shorter arm, the latter having a projection adapted to alternately raise and release the said roller and the arm of the primary lever connected therewith when the secondary lever is oscillated, the pivoted closet-seat having an arm or lever, and a weighted rod connecting the seat-lever with the longer arm of the secondary lever, the depression of the seat moving the secondary lever in one direction, while the weighted rod moves said lever in the opposite direction upon the release of the seat, each movement of the secondary lever causing the projection on its shorter arm to raise and release the valve-operating arm of the primary 1e: ver, as set forth. 7

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 6th day of April, A. D. 1891.

'I. MCHUGH. Witnesses:

C. F. BROWN, A. D. HARRISON. 

